Page 99 of ICED
But then I don’t need one. I already know she’s coming.
By the time warmups are over and we skate back into the tunnel, I hear it. Lila.
She’s in the front row, right next to our bench, holding a homemade sign in glittery marker that saysGO BEAR!with a drawing that may or may not be me but definitely has muscles bigger than reality.
She sees me and starts waving so hard I think her tiny arms might detach. Maya, beside her, is laughing. Proper, full-body, carefree laughing, the kind she used to keep under lock and key.
And sitting next to them is Sophie. Very pregnant Sophie. Like, “could sneeze and start labour” pregnant.
She’s sipping some kind of herbal tea and gently fielding Lila’s endless questions while Maya mouthssorryand tries to corral the chaos. But Sophie just waves her off like this is the most fun she’s had in weeks.
Between periods, I grab a second to catch my breath and scan the glass. Lila presses her face to it like she’s trying to tunnel through. Maya gives me a little wave, her eyes soft.
I can see it.
She’s relaxed. More than I’ve ever seen her. The tension in her shoulders finally released. As though she doesn’t feel like she has to hold her breath anymore.
After the win, because obviously we win, we’re the bloody Raptors, the boys start filing off the ice, sweaty and smug.
I hang back. Just for a second and skate over to the glass.
Lila presses both hands to it, squealing. “Bear! You skated so fast!”
“I did it just for you, Jellybean,” I say, planting my glove against hers.
She beams. Maya leans in, cheeks flushed, eyes bright. “Proud of you.”
My chest expands like someone cranked the air into it. I skate backwards, grinning like an idiot.
Best. Game. Ever.
After the showers, I’m barely dressed when Ollie appears behind me like a gossip gremlin.
“So?”
“So what?”
“Did she like the game? Did Lila boo the refs? Did Sophie go into labour and make Maya catch the baby in her foam finger?”
I throw a towel at him. “They had a great time. Lila nearly headbutted the glass when I scored.”
Murphy appears then, looking smug. “Sophie says Maya fits right in. Said she actually laughed at one of Ollie’s jokes, which might be a first.”
“She laughed because she was sleep-deprived,” Ollie mutters. “Delirium’s a known symptom.”
I pull my hoodie over my head and grab my gear. “They’re coming down to meet us.”
Murphy raises a brow. “You bringing them into the sanctum?”
“She’s already in it,” I say simply. “They both are.”
And they are. Even if I’m still sleeping on her sofa. Even if Lila doesn’t quite understand why I make Maya smile the way I do. Even if we’re still figuring it all out. They’re in.
Maya and Lila are waiting near the tunnel, Lila wearing my jersey that I got for her, which practically reaches her ankles, and clutching a foam paw with the Raptors logo.
“You were amazing!” Lila declares. “You didn’t even fall down or anything!”
“High praise,” I say, bending down to her level. “That sign you made? Pretty sure it gave me super speed.”
